Religions Around The World

In the early morning hours, monks can be seen walking on their alms round in Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Showing humility and detachment from worldly goods, the monk walks slowly and only stops if he is called. Standing quietly, with his bowl open, the local Buddhists give him rice, or flowers, or an envelope containing money.  In return, the monks bless the local Buddhists and wish them a long and fruitful life.
Christians Celebrate Good Friday
Enacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in St. Mary's Church in Secunderabad, India. Only 2.3% of India's population is Christian. 
Ancient interior mosaic in the Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora
The Church of the Holy Saviour in Istanbul, Turkey is a medieval Byzantine Greek Orthodox church.
Dome of the Rock located in the Old City of Jerusalem
The site's great significance for Muslims derives from traditions connecting it to the creation of the world and to the belief that the Prophet Muhammad's Night Journey to heaven started from the rock at the center of the structure.
Holi Festival in Mathura, India
Holi is a Hindu festival that marks the end of winter. Also known as the “festival of colors”,  Holi is primarily observed in South Asia but has spread across the world in celebration of love and the changing of the seasons.
Jewish father and daughter pray at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, Israel.
Known in Hebrew as the Western Wall, it is one of the holiest sites in the world. The description, "place of weeping", originated from the Jewish practice of mourning the destruction of the Temple and praying for its rebuilding at the site of the Western Wall.
People praying in Mengjia Longshan Temple in Taipei, Taiwan
The temple is dedicated to both Taoism and Buddhism.
People praying in the Grand Mosque in Ulu Cami
This is the most important mosque in Bursa, Turkey and a landmark of early Ottoman architecture built in 1399.
Savior Transfiguration Cathedral of the Savior Monastery of St. Euthymius
Located in Suzdal, Russia, this is a church rite of sanctification of apples and grapes in honor of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
Fushimi Inari Shrine is located in Kyoto, Japan
It is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. Fushimi Inari is the most important Shinto shrine dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice.
Ladles at the purification fountain in the Hakone Shrine
Located in Hakone, Japan, this shrine is a Japanese Shinto shrine.  At the purification fountain, ritual washings are performed by individuals when they visit a shrine. This ritual symbolizes the inner purity necessary for a truly human and spiritual life.
Hanging Gardens of Haifa are garden terraces around the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel
They are one of the most visited tourist attractions in Israel. The Shrine of the Báb is where the remains of the Báb, founder of the Bábí Faith and forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh in the Bahá'í Faith, have been buried; it is considered to be the second holiest place on Earth for Bahá'ís.
Pilgrims praying at the Pool of the Nectar of Immortality and Golden Temple
Located in Amritsar, India, the Golden Temple is one of the most revered spiritual sites of Sikhism. It is a place of worship for men and women from all walks of life and all religions to worship God equally. Over 100,000 people visit the shrine daily.
Entrance gateway of Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple Kowloon
Located in Hong Kong, China, the temple is dedicated to Wong Tai Sin, or the Great Immortal Wong. The Taoist temple is famed for the many prayers answered: "What you request is what you get" via a practice called kau cim.
Christian women worship at a church in Bois Neus, Haiti.
Haiti's population is 94.8 percent Christian, primarily Catholic. This makes them one of the most heavily Christian countries in the world.

Vatican defends science from politics, ideology and misinformation

(RNS) — Around the world, we are “witnessing an alarming rise in attempts to discredit, politicize or suppress scientific knowledge,” the Vatican says in a new (June 16) Pontifical Academy of Sciences document defending the freedom of science.

“These developments not only endanger the integrity of science but also imperil the well-being of societies that depend on science to address their most pressing challenges, including poverty, pandemics, health care, climate change, and use of artificial intelligence,” the statement reads. 

Some might be surprised to hear the church defending science, since everyone remembers how Galileo got in trouble with church authorities. Fundamentalist Christians still cannot reconcile the creation story in Genesis with contemporary scientific explanations of cosmology and evolution.



This is no longer a problem for Catholic theologians. The Vatican has been involved in astronomy since at least 1582, when astronomers helped Pope Gregory XIII put the calendar in sync with the rotation of the earth around the sun. Thirty-five craters on the moon are named after Jesuit scientists and mathematicians.

Catholic priest scientists have played an important role in the advancement of science: Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), the father of modern genetics; Georges Lemaître (1894-1966), who first proposed the Big Bang theory; and Jean Picard (1620-1682), not of “Star Trek,” but the first person to accurately measure the size of the Earth.

Still, the myth that good Christians must be anti-science gets repeated.

Rather than attacking science, this new statement of concern from the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, “Protecting Freedom of Science and Preventing Distortion of Scientific Truth,” is a full-throated defense of science, which it believes is “fundamental to the development of humankind” and needs to be protected “from ideological or political interference.”

The sources of the attacks on science and truth are complex and interconnected, the Pontifical Academy argues.

“In many settings, scientific facts are manipulated or suppressed to serve short-term political goals,” the academy reports. “Leaders or interest groups may deny inconvenient truths to preserve power or economic interests, rather than address difficult realities with evidence-based policies.”

It bemoans the rejection of scientific consensus in favor of conspiracy theories.

“Science is sometimes portrayed as elitist or biased,” the academy said, “despite its self-correcting nature, that is, science moving forward often corrects established wisdom and always must be open to new insights.”

The document is especially timely in the United States, where government officials are giving more credence to conspiracy theories than scientific consensus. For example, American research universities like Harvard are under attack, and scientific research is being defunded for political reasons by the Trump administration-run National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, which used to be big supporters of science.

The Vatican also worries that “(t)he commercialization of research and the capture of science by powerful industries can lead to conflicts of interest. Public trust is eroded when science appears to serve mainly private profits rather than public good.” And, it notes, “Social media and online platforms have accelerated the spread of pseudoscience and falsehoods.” As a result, “(s)ocial media companies must take stronger steps to limit the spread of disinformation and support authentic sources. Algorithmic transparency and responsibility are urgently needed.”

Sadly, “repressive governments have gone beyond neglecting science to actively punishing those who speak scientific truth to power. Scientific institutions have been shut down, and researchers have faced legal or physical threats,” the document says. 

What are the solutions? The academy calls on political leaders to “uphold the independence of scientific institutions and resist the politicization of research. Support for basic and applied science must be protected as an investment in the public good. Policy decisions should be guided by the best available evidence, not by ideology or misinformation.”



At the same time, it says, “Scientists must reaffirm their commitment to rigor, transparency, and ethical responsibility. They must actively engage with society, communicate their findings clearly, and listen respectfully to public concerns.”

The Pontifical Academy calls on faith communities to “recognize and promote the compatibility of science and spirituality.” It believes that “reason and faith can coexist in mutual enrichment. Religious leaders can play a powerful role in restoring public trust in science as a force for good,” it says. 

It also calls for a global coalition of stakeholders to defend the right to seek and speak scientific truth.

“In doing so,” it asserts, “we not only protect the integrity of science, but also uphold the dignity, justice, and sustainability of our common human future.”

Catholics need no longer hang their heads in shame because of Galileo. We can be proud that the Vatican wants to be a leader in the fight defending scientific inquiry. 

Original Source:

https://religionnews.com/2025/06/30/vatican-defends-science-from-politics-ideology-and-misinformation/